Paint-cup



(No Model.)

N. ILLOWAY.

PAINT CUP. No. 377,306. Patented Jan. 31, 1888.

Fig .1

j 1 6 l F I a F v 9 II fi 'l H Witnesses,

Inventor.

N PETERS. Pholo-Lnhouraphcn Wahingkon. D.

NETTIE ILLOXVAY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

PAINT-CUP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,306, dated January 31, 1888.

Application filed April 12, 1887.

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

- 7 Be it known that I, Nn'rrrn ILLOWAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paint-Oups, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure I is a perspective view of my improved cup. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of a modification. Fig. 3 is a detached view of the scrubbing-floor.

The object of the invention is to provide a cheap convenient contrivance adapted to facilitate the cleaning of paint-brushes; and to this end it consists in certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully explained.

Like refereneeletters indicate like parts in all the figures.

A is the body of the cup,and A the handle, which parts may be made of tin, other sheet metal, or of any suitable material. There may be a cover adapted to fit tightly and hingedto the top of the cup or to the handle, as maybe preferred.

Bis a wire ring or hoop attached to the in nor wall or side of the cup, preferably by soldering at a number of points, as indicated at b b. This ring is preferably of slightly less diameter than the inside of the cup, and is so soldered to it as to leave a narrow annular space between the ring and the cup, except at the points where it is soldered.

O 0 represent a number of hangers, having at their upper end hooks 0, adapted to take hold of the ring B and be supported thereon.

Dd is the scrubbing-floor, made preferably, as indicated, of a wire net-work, the outer ends of the wires being soldered to a metal ring or hoop, d. The scrubbing-fiooris attached to the lower ends of the hangers O c, and is supported thereby at a short distance from the bottom a of the cup,whereby there is provided a space between the door and the bottom of the cup adapted to receive turpentine.

E is a drying-bar having at its ends hooks e, adapted to take hold of the ring 13. In practice I propose to bend the ends of the hooks a after they have been placed over the ring, so as to form them into eyes, which will prevent Serial No. 231,525. (No model.)

accidental separation of these parts. It will be understood that the presence of this dryingbar renders it impossible to remove the scrubbing-floor by lifting it direct-1y out of the cup so long as the floor isina plane parallel to that of the bottom of the cup, but can be readily taken out in a tilted position.

The construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is such as facilitates this tilting, it being appa rent that the short hangers of Fig. 1 will permit such operation without difficulty, while in that shown in Fig. 2 there is really no obstacle in the way of turning the floor up into a vertical position before taking it out.

F is adetaehable soap-holder having upon one side a hook, bracket, or clasp, f, adapted to engage with a loop, or its equivalent, upon the inside of the cup in such manner as to sup-' port the soap-holder firmly against any strain which will be ordinarily put upon it in use. The bottom of this soap-holder may be closed, as shown in Fig. l, or perforated, as shown at f, Fig. 2; and while I prefer to connect it to the cup by detachable fastenings, such as are above referred to, I do not wish to be limited thereby, because the construction of the other parts of the device is such that both the drying-bar E and the soap-holder may be rigidly attached to the cup, while at the same time the scrub-floor can be readily removed when desired to facilitate cleaning the cup, or for other purposes.

By preference I make the hangers with eyes 0 at their lower ends, thus forming flexible connections between the hangers and the scrubbing-tloor. Therefore the means which I have adopted in Fig. 1 for supporting the upper ends of the hangers-to wit, the hooks c and the ring B of less diameter than the cup, to provide an annular space for the open ends of the hook to enter and clasp the ringare very advantageous in the carrying out of my invention, because, among other things, the method which I have adopted of supporting the floor from the ring B by means of short hangers with hooks at their upper ends (there being preferably three hangers) enables me to tilt the scrubbing-floor about one of the hooks as a center, and thus take it out of the cup by an edgewise movement without its coming in contact with either the drying-bar or a soap-box occupying the same position as the dryingbar. Nor do I wish to be limited to the means I herein shown for either supporting the bar E in position or the scrub-floor, because many modifications will readily suggest themselves to any skilled mechanic.

I am aware of Patent No. 323,420, 0. M.

Hills, and do not claim anything therein shown; but my invention differs radically from that shown in that patent, because, among other things, it is impossible in that pot to use a horizontal drying-bar arranged transversely of the pot and permanently connected thereto above the perforated bottom, it being apparent that the presence of such bar would prevent the removal of the perforated bottom and the cup 0, to which the bottom is attached; Whereas, by reason of my scrubbing-floor being suspended upon hangers, of which three only are necessary, the skeleton structure thus produced is removable, notwithstanding the presence of the drying bar. Again, the scrubbing-floor in the form of a skeleton made of wires attached at their ends to a ring operates very differently from the Hills sheet-metal floor or bottom, which is perforated with fine holes of such size and at such distances apart as to practically. prevent thrusting the bristles of the brush through the bottom, because in my scrubbing-floor so small a portion of its surface is occupied by the wires that it is effective in scraping the paint from the bristles as they are swept backward and forward over the wires. Again, the ring B differs radically from the flange B of Hills in that, among other things, it enables me to usehooked hangers of flexible wire, the ends of the hooks passing down between the ring and the side of the cup, thus holding the scrubbing floor firmly in position, while at the same time the flexibility of the hangers facilitates the removal 0 of the floor from the cup. For instance, as in Fig. 2. the side of the cup might be made of two diameters, as at G H, with an offset or shoulder atg, upon which to rest the floor.

What I claim is- 1. In a cup for cleaning paint-brushes, the combination, with the body of the cup, of the skeleton wire scrub-floor supported above the bottom of the cup, and the drying-bar above the skeleton floor, substantially as set forth. 5o

2. In a cup for cleaning paint-brushes, the combination, with the body of the cup, of the skeleton wire scrubbing-floor, and the suspending hangers provided with hooks at their upper ends, whereby the scrubbing: floor is adapted to be tilted edgewise to facllltate removal from the cup, substantially as set forth.

3. In a cup for cleaning paint-brushes, the combination, with the body of the cup, of the ring 13, of less diameter than the cup, the skeleton wire scrubbing-floor, and the hangers attached to the floor and provided at their pper ends with hooks engaging with the ring, substantially as set forth.

4. In a cup for cleaning paint-brushes, the combination, with the body of the cup, of the soap-holder attached to the inner side thereof, the drying-bar, andthe skeleton wire scrubhing-floor supported below the soap-cup, and the dryingbar, substantially as set forth, and 70 adapted to be tilted edgewise for removal.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NETTI E ILLOWAY.

Witnesses:

BENNo Q. ROTHS, EMIL RorHs. 

